Hello from Sydney, Australia

Junior Member

I'm Mindymoo and I'm a young woman from the Inner West of Sydney in Australia. I recently moved here from rural New South Wales, and living in the city has proven to be quite the culture shock to somebody who's had trees and wide open spaces around them for most of their life. Needless to say, there are more things to crash into here in Sydney, and that's even before you get anywhere near where you can fly any RC aircraft!!

About 10 years ago, I bought a 2-Channel Firebird Commander on the advice of the local RC shop owner. I didn't stay with the hobby for long though at that time because the other RC pilots in my area weren't very open-minded, any other RC group was at least a couple of hundred kms away and it was pretty expensive for me to get replacement parts via the shop I bought the plane off. Needless to say, getting dud advice, crashing spectacularly repeatedly as a result of that (and a poorly designed plane) and then being snidely laughed at makes you turn off a hobby pretty quickly.

I started thinking about getting back into the hobby seriously back in 2010 when the Parrot AR.Drone 1.0 first came out. This interest deepened when the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 came out last year, because I use iPads, iPhones and MacBook Pros with my work a lot, while the FPV capabilities also spiked my interest as a journalist. When I moved to Sydney about 4 months ago the flying bug really started to bite again, then 2 months ago I found the Flite Test Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 review and have been hooked on the show ever since.

By the way Josh Scott, one of places that I've seen the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 sold at also sells reduced-price reconditioned iPads as an optional package.....

Strangely enough, the second Flite Test episode that I watched was the one on the Flyzone DHC-2 Beaver. Concidentally, this really sparked my interest in fixed-wing RC aircraft again, as when I was a real little kid my Parents used to hire DHC-2 "Super" Beavers to spread super-phosphate over the hills of their farm (there's a good RC working-build challenge for you guys....). On a few occasions I was able to go up with the Pilots, which was a pretty interesting experience.

Just out of curiosity, what Trainer would you guys reccommend I look at in order to get properly involved with the hobby again? I've been pretty taken by the E-Flite Apprentice S 15e RTF review, however I want to make sure that I get something that is suitable for an relative beginner rather than something that just looks good. I also want something that can take a beating, as I've been away from anything RC related for quite some time. I don't mind having to travel around Sydney a bit in order to find someplace suitable to fly too.

Also does anyone know if there are any LGBT-friendly RC groups in the Sydney area? Given the aforementioned problem that I had previously, I'd prefer to learn and fly in a place where people don't care about that and just want to enjoy the hobby with people from any background, if you get my drift.

Old age member

Airplanes are not designed for beating Mindymoo ;-) Use a baseball bat if you want to beat someone.
Did you find the vid with the Apprentice thrown inverted - rolled right hit the ground and lifted up without any problems?
Or the part with flitetests where they flew inverted until the plane hit ground and turned over to "normal" on the Wheels.
I dont think that you can get something a lot better - still looking as a plane and not made of "flimsy foam".

New member

hey mindymoo, im originally from sydney, am living on the other side of the planet at the moment. welcome to the forum. not many places to fly in the inner west is there There is a flying club in Galston, its about a 45 minute drive north north west of where you are now, they fly right beside Fagan's Park. Anyway, as for a plane, I've heard really good things about the Bixler. Perhaps you could even try building your own? maybe make a FT flyer or old fogey. Good to see another Sydney sider on the forums.

Junior Member

Airplanes are not designed for beating Mindymoo ;-) Use a baseball bat if you want to beat someone.
Did you find the vid with the Apprentice thrown inverted - rolled right hit the ground and lifted up without any problems?
Or the part with flitetests where they flew inverted until the plane hit ground and turned over to "normal" on the Wheels.
I dont think that you can get something a lot better - still looking as a plane and not made of "flimsy foam".

Seriously though, I'm like Bixler and batteries when it comes to maintaining some of my equipment. So when I say "Take a bashing", I mean that its got to be durable enough to handle most of the punishment I'll undoubtedly give it. I've seen the second video, but I don't think I've seen the first one that you mentioned. I'll have to go digging for it.

hey mindymoo, im originally from sydney, am living on the other side of the planet at the moment. welcome to the forum. not many places to fly in the inner west is there There is a flying club in Galston, its about a 45 minute drive north north west of where you are now, they fly right beside Fagan's Park. Anyway, as for a plane, I've heard really good things about the Bixler. Perhaps you could even try building your own? maybe make a FT flyer or old fogey. Good to see another Sydney sider on the forums.

That's up around Berorwa, isn't it? Thanks for the welcome, and yeah.... There's not many places to fly. I'm tempted to see eventually if it's possible to fly on the Harbour once I'm good enough (and have something with floats), as that'd solve that little problem. ;-)

I'm interested in the Bixler 2, FT Fogey and FT Cruiser, however at the moment I want something that's pretty much Ready To Fly, as I don't have anything in the way of equipment. That plus my art/craft expertise is with computers and audio..... Not so much with putting things together at this time.

Rotor Riot!

Moderator

My personal favorite "trainer" aircraft are the Hobbyzone Super Cub and the Bixler/Sky Surfer. The HZ SC is just a brilliant 3 channel airplane that, when upgraded by you to 4-channel and a brushless motor, becomes a fantastic sport aerobatic, bomb dropping workhorse. The Bixler/Sky Surfer (same plane, different name) is very inexpensive, versatile and just plain fun. I have both, and have never outgrown either.

Sorry I can't help you with an LGBT friendly club in Sydney, but I think you will find this forum friendly to all. We have quite a diverse group, here with almost no small-minded nastiness. If that does occur, our moderator and dictator-for-life does a nice job of putting the offenders in time out.

Senior Member

Hi Mindymoo..welcome to the forum, I'm new here as well but I've been flying for about a year now.. the crazy thing is I race my cars, they never see dirty away from the track at all. However,I bash my planes..lol I'll fly inverted, do loops if they crash,I glue the foam back together and do it again. The side effect is that I'm actually getting much better in the process.

What I learned on was the parkzone ultra micro mustang. Great small cheap, fairly durable, can normal be repaired with clear tape and foam safe ca glue. You can dial down the throws until you learn it, dial them up and perform loops, rolls etc.another great thing is I can take it around the corner from my house and fly it at the baseball field, you don't need much room at all.

It's huge though and we'll require a large amount of space because it's huge and quick. I crashed this the first time up because I had the servo reversed. I broke it into 3 pieces and used foam safe ca with the activator and literally flew it again in under 3 minutes. Since then I've been sold on foam and the ultra micro series, for the price I just want to collect them all..

Senior Member

Hi and welcome! So I gather you that live in the city, and want to learn to fly a crash-proof plane with some help at a club sans narrow minded people? That sounds like a real challenge that includes a lot of travel time... Were I you I'd try to find someone living close to "buddy up" with, get some help to fly and find the right club. And/or maybe get slow flyer to take to a nearby park, if possible?

It's great that you want to pick up the hobby again, just don't give up because it can be a bit intimidating in the beginning before you get the hang of it, get used to crashing et c. It is hard to exclude the "building" part of the hobby, because you need to prepare and repair what you're flying, even if it comes ready to fly. This is where it's great to have someone in the area to help you.

(If you're a beginner on calm waters, maybe the PKZ Ultra Micro Icon A5 could be a good second plane?)

Senior Member

Hey Mindymoo
I'm just up the road near Gosford, I am not sure of the Sydney based clubs but there is a great club up here on the coast based at the old Narara air. I myself as yet are not part of a club because my work/overtime doesn't give me much time for the hobby but there are plenty of good flying fields between Syd and the coast, driving is a must if you want to find them.
Plenty of good reads on this forum and lots of good friendly people, you will feel at home.

New member

Galton is a bit short of berowra, but yeah, in tht general direction, I think the club is called the Hornsby electric flying club. Flying off the harbour would be good, except I think it'd be a bit rough with all the boat traffic on the water, one ferry wake and your plane will be drowned.

As for bashing your plane, I suggested the bixler cause its a pusher, keeps the motor and prop away from hard landings, it'll keep you in the air for longer.

Senior Member

My personal favorite "trainer" aircraft are the Hobbyzone Super Cub and the Bixler/Sky Surfer. The HZ SC is just a brilliant 3 channel airplane that, when upgraded by you to 4-channel and a brushless motor, becomes a fantastic sport aerobatic, bomb dropping workhorse. The Bixler/Sky Surfer (same plane, different name) is very inexpensive, versatile and just plain fun. I have both, and have never outgrown either.

Sorry I can't help you with an LGBT friendly club in Sydney, but I think you will find this forum friendly to all. We have quite a diverse group, here with almost no small-minded nastiness. If that does occur, our moderator and dictator-for-life does a nice job of putting the offenders in time out.

Hi Mindymoo.
I couldn't say enough about either of the Bixler of Sky Surfer. I am flying my second Sky Surfer right now and in the process of building the Bixler2 with some upgrades as I write. You couldn't ask for a better trainer and once your confidence is up the plane doesn't let you grow out of it. It keeps you hooked for everything from modifications through to camera work and FPV flying. I dove in at the deep end when I statted and built a couple of scratch builds while I was learning to fly the Sky Surfer. I think you would be wise to hunt down the reviews on this website for both of the Bixlers. You'll enjoy them.
Good luck.
John. PS I'm from Perth and fly at a few local parks with quite a lot of ease.

Site Moderator

Welcome to the forum and cool not only to see a fellow Aussie but also a female one that has a passion for flight My son and I are from Melbourne . . so we're not that local lol My son started with the Kinetic 800 which was an awesome model. The best part was every time he crashed it, it would just bounce being so light. As far as the bixler goes, I have to agree with everyone, its an amazing aircraft not only as a trainer but if you venture into FPV, its great!!!! I've been FPVing mine for 2 years and she is still going strong.

You found a place that sells ARDrones . . that come with an iPad . . Josh Scott will love that one

My son is in the process of helping one of his school friends build a Bixler 1.1 right now.

Junior Member

Welcome to the forum and cool not only to see a fellow Aussie but also a female one that has a passion for flight My son and I are from Melbourne . . so we're not that local lol My son started with the Kinetic 800 which was an awesome model. The best part was every time he crashed it, it would just bounce being so light. As far as the bixler goes, I have to agree with everyone, its an amazing aircraft not only as a trainer but if you venture into FPV, its great!!!! I've been FPVing mine for 2 years and she is still going strong.

You found a place that sells ARDrones . . that come with an iPad . . Josh Scott will love that one

My son is in the process of helping one of his school friends build a Bixler 1.1 right now.

Yeah, one of the computer game shops in northern New South Wales has been selling reconditioned iPads at a reduced price for people wanting to get the AR Drone at the same time. Knowing Josh Scott's focus on the iPad, I just couldn't resist dropping that bit of info.

I'm split between the Bixler and the Apprentice SAFE. I've got time up my sleave though, so I can put the decision off for a bit.

Also thanks to everyone for the welcome here so far. Coming from a minority background, it's nice just to be able to talk with people, be open with them and just be passionate about flight. I've been engaged in a lot of other hobbies in the past and they haven't always been as welcoming as the Flite Test community has. Getting a warm welcome means a lot, so thank you all.

Dedicated foam bender

Yeah, one of the computer game shops in northern New South Wales has been selling reconditioned iPads at a reduced price for people wanting to get the AR Drone at the same time. Knowing Josh Scott's focus on the iPad, I just couldn't resist dropping that bit of info.

I'm split between the Bixler and the Apprentice SAFE. I've got time up my sleave though, so I can put the decision off for a bit.

Also thanks to everyone for the welcome here so far. Coming from a minority background, it's nice just to be able to talk with people, be open with them and just be passionate about flight. I've been engaged in a lot of other hobbies in the past and they haven't always been as welcoming as the Flite Test community has. Getting a warm welcome means a lot, so thank you all.

Pretty funny about the iPad, given the channels history with Josh trying to include one.

I don't have any personal experience with either of those but based on the reviews, either should be good for you. I will say I lean more towards the Bixler only because you are doing the flying, but a little electronic help never hurts as long as it works well. In the past, the "autopilot" systems were not always that helpful!

With us, the focus is on the fun and the flying. The rest is good natured ribbing and goofing around. Oh, and helping out when we can! So Welcome! and let us know when we can help!

Junior Member

Hi MindyMoo,
I'm also in Sydney's inner-west, and I'm a beginner like you. LGBT is no problem for me - having lived in Newtown for years I sometimes refer to myself as 'the only straight in the village'..

I have a zillion hours of desktop flight simulator experience (landing a 747 ILS at night in a typhoon at the old Hong Kong airport anyone?) and a couple of hours in a Cessna 152.

I'm aiming to get into FPV and Ardupilot flying but I'm also stuck with the lack of space in inner Sydney. I have a software development background so I'm also intrigued by that side of it. The journalistic possibilities are interesting to me too as I work for a media comany.

I mothballed my self-built foamie and bought a Bixler to teach myself how to fly line-of-sight (so much harder than the real thing or a sim). I thought I should learn on something that was a proven flyer. That Bixler is now up a tree in Moore Park... but I refuse to give up!

I have a plan to get it out of the tree but in the meantime I have another Bixler built that is yet to fly... I'm also building a tiny foamie delta that should be flyable in a small space like Camperdown Oval.

If you (or any other 'inner-westies') want to go flying or do some building let me know - I could use an rc buddy!

Junior Member

Hi MindyMoo,
I'm also in Sydney's inner-west, and I'm a beginner like you. LGBT is no problem for me - having lived in Newtown for years I sometimes refer to myself as 'the only straight in the village'..

I have a zillion hours of desktop flight simulator experience (landing a 747 ILS at night in a typhoon at the old Hong Kong airport anyone?) and a couple of hours in a Cessna 152.

I'm aiming to get into FPV and Ardupilot flying but I'm also stuck with the lack of space in inner Sydney. I have a software development background so I'm also intrigued by that side of it. The journalistic possibilities are interesting to me too as I work for a media comany.

I mothballed my self-built foamie and bought a Bixler to teach myself how to fly line-of-sight (so much harder than the real thing or a sim). I thought I should learn on something that was a proven flyer. That Bixler is now up a tree in Moore Park... but I refuse to give up!

I have a plan to get it out of the tree but in the meantime I have another Bixler built that is yet to fly... I'm also building a tiny foamie delta that should be flyable in a small space like Camperdown Oval.

If you (or any other 'inner-westies') want to go flying or do some building let me know - I could use an rc buddy!

I think that we'll definitely have to meet up and talk RC Aircraft sometime in Newtown!! (I'm actually writing this post from a pub on Oxford Street!!)

Yes, the Inner West is most definitely an LGBT friendly place, which is ruddy awesome for an L and T person like myself. Being one's true self is super important and is worth more than all the tea in China.

Luckily, playing around with RC Aircraft and electronics is a fun part of who I am as a person!!